Health law

Suicide has emerged as an urgent threat in recent years as COVID-19 impaired the health and economic wellbeing of millions of Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the impact of COVID-19 and the ongoing opioid epidemic has "taken a mental, emotional, physical, and economic toll on individuals, families, and communities," increasing the need for innovative solutions to prevent suicide on a national scale. The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 established 988 as the universal telephone number for suicide prevention and represents a key federal intervention to address this crisis...

INTRODUCTION: Non-compliance with smoke-free law is one of the determinants of untimely mortality and morbidity globally. Various studies have been conducted on non-compliance with smoke-free law in public places in different parts of the world; however, the findings are inconclusive and significantly dispersed. Moreover, there is a lack of internationally representative data, which hinders the evaluation of ongoing international activities towards smoke-free law. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of non-compliance with smoke-free law in public places...

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer occupies a significant place in the overall structure of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. We focused on the sexual health and use of cervical cancer screening among the female working population of reproductive age in Central Serbia. METHODS: The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study, according to the methodology Stepwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance WHO. The study population consisted of 1182 female working population aged 18-49 years, living on the territory of Central Serbia...

BACKGROUND: Telehealth use was previously limited by strict regulations and financial constraints. However, the pandemic prompted some countries to ease their telehealth laws. Thus, we conducted a bibliometric analysis and network visualization to gauge changes in tele-neuropsychology (Tele-NP) and tele-mental Health (Tele-MH) trends with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors conducted a literature search on SCOPUS and included relevant articles pertaining to Tele-NP and Tele-MH, which were published before the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022)...

When neonatal and obstetrical complications occur, the identification and management of mood and anxiety disorders become complex with an ever-expanding array of psychiatric needs that include the management of grief- and trauma-related disorders. With high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and laws in many states restricting reproductive health access, psychiatrists must be proficient in managing psychiatric sequelae in this context. High-risk groups for peripartum mood and anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and complicated grief include those with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stays and those who have experienced infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss...

The labor market is the site of longstanding and persistent inequalities across race and gender groups in hiring, compensation, and advancement. In this paper, we draw on data from 13,574 hourly service-sector workers to extend the study of intersectional labor market inequalities to workers' experience on the job. In the service sector, where workers are regularly expected to be on their feet for long hours and to contend with workloads that are intense and unrelenting, regular break time is an essential component of job quality and general well-being...

BACKGROUND: Public health surveillance is vital for monitoring and controlling disease spread. In the Philippines, an effective surveillance system is crucial for managing diverse infectious diseases. The Newcomb-Benford Law (NBL) is a statistical tool known for anomaly detection in various datasets, including those in public health. METHODS: Using Philippine epidemiological data from 2019 to 2023, this study applied NBL analysis. Diseases included acute flaccid paralysis, diphtheria, measles, rubella, neonatal tetanus, pertussis, chikungunya, dengue, leptospirosis and others...

Lead poisoning is an important global conservation problem for many species of wildlife, especially raptors. Despite the increasing number of individual studies and regional reviews of lead poisoning of raptors, it has been over a decade since this information has been compiled into a comprehensive global review. Here, we summarize the state of knowledge of lead poisoning of raptors, we review developments in manufacturing of non-lead ammunition, the use of which can reduce the most pervasive source of lead these birds encounter, and we compile data on voluntary and regulatory mitigation options and their associated sociological context...

Identifying the sources and fate of microplastics in natural systems has garnered a great deal of attention because of their implications for ecosystem health. This work characterizes the size fraction, morphology, color, and polymer composition of microplastics in western Lake Superior and its adjacent harbor sampled in August and September 2021. The results reveal that the overall microplastic counts are similar, with the harbor stations ranging from 0.62 to 3.32 microplastics per liter and the lake stations ranged from 0...

BACKGROUND: Food taboos and cultural beliefs among pregnant and breast-feeding women influence their food consumption patterns and hence the health of women and unborn children. Cognizant of their neglect in programs aimed to ameliorate hidden hunger among pregnant and breast-feeding women in Buyende and other resource-poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa, we opted for a study to unravel them to inform program design. METHODS: We documented food taboos and beliefs amongst pregnant and breast-feeding women from six sub-counties of Buyende district in Eastern Uganda...

OBJECTIVE: Assess acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility of the Practical Guide to Implementing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in Gender-Affirming Care (PG-PROM-GAC) from a sample of patients and healthcare professionals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study conducted August-October 2023. SETTING: Participants were recruited from a National Health Service (NHS) gender clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Patient participants seeking care and healthcare professionals working at an NHS gender clinic were eligible for participation...

Understanding how human actions and environmental change affect water resources is crucial for addressing complex water management issues. The scientific tools that can produce the necessary information are ecological indicators, referring to measurable properties of the ecosystem state; environmental monitoring, the data collection process that is required to evaluate the progress towards reaching water management goals; mathematical models, linking human disturbances with the ecosystem state to predict environmental impacts; and scenarios, assisting in long-term management and policy implementation...

BACKGROUND: Course failure arises as the ultimate result of students' declining academic performance in the face of high course demands. It can eventually lead to dropout and academic dissatisfaction. Emotional intelligence may play an essential role in decreasing the emotional effects of stress, such as academic burnout in nursing students. However, emotional intelligence is conceptualized multidimensionally, and each of its attributes may have a different impact on burnout reduction...

BACKGROUND: The promotion of the latest medicines produced by the pharmaceutical industry is an important issue both from an ethical point of view (the level of accessibility, the way research is carried out) and from the point of view of marketing and especially from the lobbying issues raised. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY: The ethical dilemmas raised by the promotion of new drugs revolve between the need to discover new molecules important for treating a wide range of diseases and the need to establish a battery of ethical rules, absolutely necessary for regulations in the field to be compliant with all ethical principles...

INTRODUCTION: Under enrollment of participants in clinical research is costly and delays study completion to impact public health. Given that research personnel make decisions about which strategies to pursue and participants are the recipients of these efforts, we surveyed research staff ( n = 52) and participants ( n = 4,144) affiliated with SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism for Knowledge) - the largest study of autism in the U.S. - to understand their perceptions of effective recruitment strategies...

Obesity has emerged as a prevalent global health concern, with its detrimental effects on the reproductive system and sexual function garnering increasing attention. Both men and women affected by obesity face a heightened risk of fertility challenges and sexual dysfunction. Although fertility and sexual function are distinct topics, they are intricately linked and mutually influential in both medical and societal contexts. Bariatric surgery (BS) has generated promising results in alleviating sexual dysfunction and enhancing fertility, results which are often gender specific...

BACKGROUND: For over 50 years, federal disability civil rights laws have mandated that patients with disability receive equitable health care. However, disabled patients continue to experience health care disparities. OBJECTIVE: To explore physicians' views, in their own words, about caring for patients with disability. METHODS: Review of responses to open-ended question at the end of a nationally representative survey of 714 outpatient physicians about their experiences caring for adult disabled patients...

INTRODUCTION: In South Asia, younger women have high rates of unmet need for family planning and low empowerment. Life skills interventions can equip young women with agency, but the effectiveness of these interventions in reproductive and sexual autonomy and contraception has not been examined. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A two-arm, parallel, cluster randomised controlled trial will evaluate the impact of TARANG (Transforming Actions for Reaching and Nurturing Gender Equity and Empowerment), a life skills and reproductive health empowerment group-based intervention for newly married women, compared with usual services in the community in rural and tribal Rajasthan, India...

OBJECTIVE: To explain the new test for complying with the mental health principles under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic). CONCLUSION: The principles carry over limitations from the previous Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) while also containing new features. The 'all reasonable efforts to comply' and 'proper consideration' tests resemble the existing test under section 38(1) of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) that also apply to public mental health services...

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations, with many workers experiencing occupational accidents and ill health. The misuse of toxic substances, often due to inadequate protective measures, raises concerns about both individual and nature safety. However, the strenuous tasks done by the agricultural workers, especially those related to pesticide exposure and some challenges affect the farmer's health and well-being. This review paper used databases like PubMed and Google Scholar to elaborate this...